News portal Rediff.com quoted extensively from a classified report commissioned by the US Defence Department which gives a comprehensive account of the American perspective of defence ties between the two countries.

The Defence Department report says the US wants access to Indian bases and specifically wants to set up airbases on Indian soil.

"American military officers are candid in their plans to eventually seek access to Indian bases and military infrastructure," Rediff said, quoting the report.

"India's strategic location in the centre of Asia, astride the frequently travelled sea lanes of communication linking the Middle East and East Asia, makes India particularly attractive to the US military," the report said.

According to Rediff, the report is being distributed among decision-makers in the US and a handful of members of the Indian government.

It says the report is based on interviews of 23 military officers and 15 government officials and some others. Its author Juli A. MacDonald met with several Indian defence officers and government officials.

The report quotes American defence officials as saying that the US military would be "able to touch the rest of the world" and "respond rapidly to regional crises."

"For many, India is the most attractive alternative ... eventual access to Indian military infrastructure represents a critical strategic hedge against dramatic changes in traditional US relationships in Asia," the report says.

An officer is quoted saying India's importance increases if existing American relationships in Asia sour, for instance, with its key allies like Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia.

The US Navy also wants a "relatively neutral territory on the opposite side of the world" that can support operations in the Middle East.

American officials feel that the American military would gain immensely from training with the Indians, given their exposure to varied landscapes.

India allowed refuelling facility to the US warplanes during the 1991 Gulf war and extended active cooperation during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001.

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